Convicted felon shot self in leg, facing charges

Felon prohibited from carrying firearms

A convicted felon is facing charges after Tampa Bay area authorities say he shot himself in the leg.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported that 26-year-old Mark Cruz was treated at South Bay Hospital on Monday.

Deputies reported that Cruz wouldn't say where he got the.22-caliber gun. He would only say that he was injured when the gun fell out of his pocket and fired. He claimed that he then threw the gun in an unnamed lake.

Deputies determined that Cruz was a convicted felon who was prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.

Cruz was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm and tampering with or destroying evidence.

He was released Tuesday on $11,500 bond.

Cruz was released from prison last year after serving time for aggravated assault with a weapon and trafficking cocaine.

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